Pacquiao trains hard whether he’s up against a pasty or not

By Al S. Mendoza

ONE secret behind Manny Pacquiao’s success is Bob Arum.

Take the Pacquiao-Mosley fight.

Zero in on its fight date.

It’s on May 8 (Manila Time), right?

Just an ordinary day, you say?

A normal Sunday, you say?

Don’t you notice something extra special in it?

Examine it closely.  You will find extraordinariness in it.

You quit?

OK, now listen up.

May 8 is the day before Congress reopens on May 9.

Which means, Pacquiao, a congressman representing the lone district of Sarangani, won’t be absent on the day Congress resumes sessions on May 9, a Monday.

“He will not be physically around but in the records, he’ll be officially present,” said Freddie Abellar, a Congress top gun at the Publications Department.

The law says a lawmaker who makes advance provisions for his not being around due to a commitment for a work-related mission is considered excused and not absent in the Congress logbook.

Because Pacquiao is also a boxer, Congress gives him the leeway to fulfill his vocation.

Arum, Pacquiao’s American promoter, made sure Pacquiao’s Congress duties won’t be disrupted that’s why he personally chooses the date for Pacman’s fights.

Even Pacquiao’s departure for Los Angeles was perfectly timed.

Didn’t Pacquiao fly to L.A. on Saturday night, just two days after the scheduled recess at Congress last March 31?

That’s how precise the Arum-Pacquiao partnership is when it comes to scheduling.

Pacquiao is a stickler for appointments and has a strict discipline on attending papers related to his Congress work.

Any disturbance on his schedule would surely distract his concentration in his forthcoming fight with Mosley.

Even as Mosley is admittedly a patsy – he is 39, my golly – Pacquiao isn’t taking things lightly, which is a true mark of a champion and a winner.

If there’s one fighter who trains hard as can be whether he is fighting a top gun or a has-been, it can only be Pacquiao.

The way Pacquiao has been training for the Mosley fight, you’d think he’d be up against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the unbeaten middleweight champ, if not Incredible Hulk.

Pacquiao knows the rules and one cardinal rule for every great athlete to heed is to always be prepared – like a boy scout.

To not prepare is the formula for failure.

To not prepare properly is the shortcut to debacle.

That’s the reason Pacquiao has reached this far – eight world titles in eight different classes.

The only one in boxing history.

Back to Homepage

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments